


Andrew Minyard and the Intricacies of Faerie Wooing

by carminesunset



Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fairies, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Fluff, M/M, Mutual Pining, Oblivious Pining, Pining, so much pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-28
Updated: 2020-03-28
Packaged: 2021-03-01 09:13:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,200
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23348971
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/carminesunset/pseuds/carminesunset
Summary: In which everyone but Andrew realizes that he's been wooing the cute faerie from the other side of the forest.For the 2020 Reverse Big Bang.
Relationships: Neil Josten/Andrew Minyard
Comments: 19
Kudos: 383
Collections: AFTG Reverse Big Bang 2020, All for the Game Fics





	Andrew Minyard and the Intricacies of Faerie Wooing

**Author's Note:**

> Firstly:  
> Thank you to godot for the amazing art!! I fell in love at first sight and I am sooo happy that I got my first choice ;w;  
> Secondly:  
> Thank you to my beta, J!!  
> Thirdly:  
> Thank you sm to the mods for organizing the event!

"I don't get it," Andrew says, as Nicky heaves stack after stack of rosemary on a rock to dry. The strong herbal scent is strong in the air, and it further sours Andrew's mood. "This is just nice-smelling grass. What's so special about it?" He kicks at a stray leaf and dodges a swipe from Nicky.

"Of course you don't get it," Nicky scoffs, pushing him aside and rearranging the plants. "You don't have a single romantic bone in your body. But when _Erik_ sees this --" Here, Andrew rolls his eyes at icky's gushing tone. "-- he'll know my intentions are true and know just how amazing we could be together."

Flecks of faerie dust teeming with romantic woes puff from Nicky's wings. Andrew brushes it off his shoulders with irritation. "Seriously? Right in front of my honey?" Andrew is tempted to flick some of his honey at Nicky's hair, knowing how vain he is, but he's reluctant to waste his precious snack. "Besides, haven't you two been dating for only a year now? I'd never go this far for a mate."

Nicky pauses in his rearranging and turns to look at Andrew. "Never, huh? I think you're already in too deep in that case."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Andrew asks frowning, but Nicky is already flying away, intent on finding more rosemary.

"You'll know what I mean!" Nicky shouts behind him. "It's more likely he won't though," he mutters to himself.

Andrew just stares after the other faerie.

-

Like any other time when he's confronted by the weirdness of the faeries that share his hill, Andrew finds solace in the company of one other faerie: Neil.

Unlike the rest of the faeries that live in his commune, Neil and his commune inhabit a glade of mushrooms sprinkled around the base of trees on the other side of the forest. Maybe it's the mushrooms in the air or something, but it always feels like Neil understands him the most, even when the rest of Andrew's own commune have known him their whole lives. When they're apart, Andrew finds himself impatient to be at his side once again.

It's surely evidence of his commune being more annoying and prickly than all the nestles in the forest combined.

On his way to one of Neil's usual haunts, Andrew refills his pot of honey and tucks a generously-sized blueberry under his arm. Neil, he knows, doesn't eat too much honey, but he can never resist fruit.

It's not long before he comes across Neil sprawled in the shadows of a lilac field, feeding the bees on his lap. The bees crowded around him slurp up the pools of nectar in his hands and lap with their long tongues. Andrew hides the blueberry behind his back and flies to perch on a lilac above him.

"Which one is that? Lily?" Andrew asks, gesturing to the bumble bee on Neil's shoulder.

"No, it's obviously Rum." Neil rolls his eyes. "Can't you see the distinctive stripes?"

They all look the same to Andrew, but he isn't going to reveal _that_ piece of information to Neil.

"Anyways, weren't you supposed to be helping Nicky with something today?" Neil asks. "I thought you were going to be gone for another hour or so."

"Nah. I ditched him 'cause it was boring." Andrew casually pulls out the blueberry and tosses it to Neil. "Here, I have something for you. I just had it lying around. and I didn't want it to go bad or anything."

"Oh! A blueberry? Thank you, Andrew," Neil says, taking a deep lungful of its fragrant smell. He pushes aside the pile of nectar and pollen for more of the bumble bees to peruse. "Did you want to share any?"

"No," Andrew says truthfully. He stays content to watch Neil bite into the blueberry the size of his fist. The purple juice drips down his chin, and Andrew catches himself staring at the bright liquid staining Neil's hands. 

"-- any?"

"What?" Andrew startles, jerking out of his unintended stupor.

"I said, are you sure you don't want any? It's really sweet and fresh. I feel a little bad really, it doesn't seem like it was close to going bad at all. I don't want to take too much from your personal storage."

"No, no, it was for you, anyways." Andrew says absently, as he watches Neil lick a trail of blueberry juice running down his arm. Even though he's sitting in the shade of the lilacs, he feels a burning hotness under his cheeks and neck. 

"Just for me?" Neil asks, pure delight in his voice, and Andrew realizes what he's unintentionally confessed. Neil's wings are fluttering behind him, delicately releasing tiny sparks of pink faerie dust -- clear evidence of his pleased nature.

"No -- no, I just had a lot lying around, it doesn't mean anything." He clears his throat and turns away from the other faerie to look up at the blooming lilacs. The burning under his skin moves to his ears, and he wipes his sweaty palms on his leafy tunic.

One of the bees that was hovering around the leftover nectar flits to Andrew's side. She peers at him intently, flicking back and forth, before settling down on his shoulder and tentatively probing his hair with her tongue. The pollen baskets on her hind legs rain yellow specks down the front of his tunic, and Andrew lifts a hand to steady her.

"I think she likes you!" Neil laughs.

"Let me guess... Rum?"

"Nice try, but it's Tulip."

"I have a feeling that she just thinks my hair is a flower, or something." At this point, Andrew is beginning to think that Neil is pulling his leg, but Neil's affable smile is hard to read.

Neil brushes the rest of the bees off his lap and flares his wings, flying up to Andrew's perch. It's another unique thing about Neil, Andrew thinks. There's no one with wings like his, delicately built and the tips tapering to a sharp point. It's far unlike Andrew's own, which are stocky and white, built for power rather than the speed that Neil's are made for.

When Neil settles next to Andrew on the branch, he shoos away the bee. "C'mon, there are real flowers all around us. Andrew is a friend, not food." She buzzes away without a protest, and they are finally left alone in their hiding spot. Neil is sitting close enough to Andrew on the branch for him to smell the blueberry lingering on Neil's breath.

"You, uh, have some blueberry juice..." Andrew points at the corner of his mouth. Neil wipes at his cheek with the bottom of his tunic.

"Did I get it?"

"No, here, let me." Andrew reaches out without thinking and wipes off the stain with his thumb. Neil's cheek is warm under his fingers. He goes to wipe it off on his tunic, but upon seeing its pollen stains, decides to just lick it off instead. Neil's right -- the blueberry is very sweet and fresh. When Andrew looks up again, Neil's face is red. Remembering the heat that Andrew himself felt earlier, Andrew presses the back of his hand against Neil's forehead.

"Are you alright?" Andrew asks. "You're warming up."

"Hah, nothing, it's just the sun." Neil backs away from Andrew's touch and turns away. Even the back of his neck is tinged red. "I think I've been -- a little too active. Might just be the sun, though."

"Alright..." Andrew acquiesces, though not quite convinced. Maybe Neil hasn't been eating enough; he has the habit of tunnel-visioning when he's busy with work.

Andrew makes a mental note to find some more fruit for him. Maybe more blueberries? No, he just gave him some today. Strawberries, then. It would be a pain to get, but it's a small sacrifice for Neil's health.

"Anyways, um, are you going to the flower dance?" Neil asks Andrew after shuffling a bit away to make room. The little motion annoys Andrew for a reason he can't pinpoint, so he just scoots closer again. "I heard from Dan and Allison that Nicky and Erik were going to formally announce their courtship there."

"Probably," Andrew says. "He wanted me to help him find rosemary. A _ton_ of rosemary. I think I'm going to be sick from all the love-tinged fairy dust."

"Wow. _Rosemary._ That's really serious. They really mean it, huh? I thought they only met a year ago?"

Andrew shrugs. "I honestly don't understand those kinds of things. Flowers are just flowers, to me. What does it matter if you give someone one leaf or another?"

Neil frowns. "You really don't know the history behind all the flower meanings and the courtship rituals?"

"No. Should I? Shouldn't words be enough? I think people just need to be direct."

Suddenly, a stiff breeze flows through the lilac field, tilting their seat an alarming amount. Andrew grabs the stalk of the flower with one hand and Neil's arm with the other. Eventually, the breeze calms and their flower slows to a less stomach-turning sway.

"You alright?" Andrew asks.

"Yeah..." A look Andrew can't decipher passes over Neil's face. Neil pauses and bites his lip, pulling his arm away from Andrew's grip. "I should head back home. Mother will probably need me to help with the preparations for the flower dance next week."

"You sure?" Andrew was hoping to spend a little more time with Neil before they had to part ways, but maybe it was for the better; Andrew himself had a lot to prepare for the dance. 

"Yeah, I'm sure." And Neil's smile was back once again. Andrew was sure that there was something bothering Neil, but he was reluctant to press when Neil was so obviously trying to leave.

"... Alright. I'll see you at the flower dance, then?"

"Definitely."

Even as they part ways, Andrew is flipping through his mind, rapidly trying to find something -- anything -- to bring back a genuine smile to Neil's face.

-

In between helping weave garlands of flowers and gathering nectar and honey, Andrew searches every inch of the nearby forest for a patch of strawberries. Hell, he'd even take a patch of salmonberries at this rate. They would at least match Neil's fiery hair, even if they tasted like a sour punch to the mouth.

Faeries really aren't meant for long distance traveling; if they want to go somewhere more a few miles away, they have to rely on friendly woodland creatures. If you're a tiny faerie, though, kind creatures are hard to come by -- especially since they make a delicious snack for ravens and the like.

However, Andrew has one advantage: he already knows of one kind woodland creature. It's just a tossup as to whether or not she would be willing to help him or not. Sir Fat Cat McCatterson is exactly as her name implies: the fattest (and possibly only) cat in the forest for miles. Despite her apparent laziness, she is a reliable steed, and as Neil's familiar, she is more trustworthy than any other creature in the forest. 

Since Neil's commune moved into the mushroom glade, they have rarely had the need to travel a long distance, the result being a cat content to laze in the sunlight peeking through the leaves of the trees.

That is exactly where Andrew finds her after two failed days of searching for a single strawberry patch.

“ _Psst_!” Andrew hisses at her. He knows she’s not asleep. And surely she knows that he knows that she is not asleep. Her eyes stay closed.

“Sir.” Nothing. “I need your help.” Still nothing. “I need to find a gift for Neil.”

Her eye slowly peeks open and she peers at him as if to say, “Why didn’t you start with that earlier?”

“Will you help me?” Andrew asks. “I need to find a strawberry patch for him. I think he might be a little _sick_ ,” he adds for greater effect. 

It works, and she sits up with a slow, large yawn. It’s perfect to display her glistening white fangs to him. Why did Neil have to befriend one of their natural predators?!

“I’ve already checked the southern and eastern parts of the forest, but I think there may be some in the northern parts. It’s a little too far for me to fly on my own. Will you help?”

She licks her paw and scrubs behind each ear, then stretches out her back. She gives him a look.

“Thanks,” he says gruffly, and is rewarded with a sandy lick to his cheek. He mounts her back and gently grasps her fur, as she takes off into the forest.

While riding a steed as fast as a cat, the miles fly away under their feet. As the sun dips closer to the horizon, he is tempted to give up. However, as they’re passing by a particularly dense patch of undergrowth, he sees the telltale glint of red fruit.

“Wait!” He shouts, tugging at Sir’s fur. She grumbles at the mistreatment of her fur, but she turns anyway. With a clawed paw, she easily cuts through the undergrowth hiding the strawberries from the world.

The strawberries shine like rubies in the light of the setting sun, and Andrew can hardly contain his eagerness as he hops down to inspect the fruit. To his delight, the strawberries are almost ripe; by the time the flower dance arrives, they would be perfect to eat.

All he has to do was wait.

His stomach tingles in anticipation, but he brushes the feeling aside; he has other things to worry about before the dance.

-

A couple days later, Katelyn approaches Andrew as he’s laying out a few batches of flowers to dry. Even though she and Aaron have been married for years now with one daughter, Andrew still wouldn’t call them close at all. At best, he would put them on neutral ground. 

“Hey, Andrew,” she greets.

“Hey.”

“Can you do me a huge favor?”

“... Depends.”

“Great!” She pulls out the little fairy hiding behind her and presents her to Andrew. His niece giggles and immediately attaches herself to his leg.

_Were it not for the presence of this angel, I would attempt to end your life_ , is what Andrew tries to convey with his eyebrows. Katelyn merely coos at her daughter.

"I need you to look after Angela for a little bit." Katelyn says, after Andrew has wrestled Angela off his leg and properly into his arms.

"Why can't Nicky do it? I'm busy."

"We both know he's preoccupied with the courting preparations. He's probably flying across half the forest right now trying to find what he needs."

Angela takes that moment to squirm, pushing against Andrew's face with hands that are sticky with... _something_. He loves the little sweet pea, but honestly, who knows where she's been? Andrew sets her down again with little fuss, and she meanders her way toward the drying flowers.

"Fine. But you owe me."

Katelyn waves him off. "Yeah, yeah, we all know you need your alone time with Neil."

Andrew knows she's trying to get at something; he narrows his eyes at her. "What are you implying?"

"That Neil is the only faerie, other than Andrew, in this forest that you don't just tolerate?"

"Right," Andrew replies skeptically. "What do you really want from me?"

Katelyn purses her lips, looking at him with a scrutinizing gaze. Before she can say anything further, Angela interrupts their conversation by tugging on Andrew's hand.

"Uncle 'Drew are you gonna play with me?" She asks, bouncing on the balls of her feet.

"..." Andrew looks at her, then back up at Katelyn. "Don't you have somewhere to be?"

-

“That isn’t how you make a flower crown Uncle ‘Drew,” Angela says to Andrew, pushing his hands away. “ _This_ is how you make a flower crown. See?”

She presents the lopsided thing with a proud grin.

“Sorry, I guess I can’t compete with the crown-making genius.” Andrew obligingly leans forward when she tugs his arm. As a young fairy her wings aren’t yet strong enough to fly very high, but she manages to float just a bit off the ground and deposit the crown on his head.

“There! Now you look pretty!”

“Not as pretty as _you --_ ” Andrew picks her up and jumps into the air as she squeals. His wings flare out behind them, and he takes them both into somersaults and loops in the air. 

“ _Uncle Andrew!_ Put me down!” she yells, laughing. She squirms in his grasp, and he rights himself, worried for a moment he might drop her.

“What’s that? I should tickle you?”

“No!” 

He swoops down to the grass and tickles her, blowing raspberries into her neck. Her joy flares around her, and bright yellow fairy dust sprinkles them both. Aaron will probably get annoyed at him for playing with her when she should be napping, but he’s the favorite uncle for a _reason._

“Andrew! Angela!” a voice shouts from above; it’s Dan, with an armful of flowers dripping with nectar under arms. “Mind giving me a hand?”

“Are those marigolds?” Angela asks, skipping over to Dan. “My favorite!”

“Is the last of the flowers?” Andrew asks. Dan nods.

“Almost. We have one last batch that needs to be brought in, though. Why don’t you go to the bottom of the hill and help out? We also have some early arrivals.” At the last part, Dan finishes off with a wink.

“Can I please have a marigold?” Angela asks.

“Of _course_ ,” Dan coos, and hands her one. The tiny fairy almost tips over from the weight of the flower, but she giggles and runs off with her prize.

“Who is it that’s arrived so early?” Andrew asks.

“You should know who it is considering you spend so much time with him,” Dan replies, rolling her eyes. “Hurry and go. The marigolds can’t carry themselves.”

“Fine,” Andrew huffs and flies off — but honestly, it isn’t even a burden, knowing who he gets to see.

When he reaches the base of the hill, he sees Neil standing amongst a pile of marigolds, just as Dan had said. Neil's face lights up when he sees him, and Andrew is reminded of the bright sunflower he had gifted Neil just a few weeks prior. Neil was so pleased, he had dried it to add to his nest.

"I didn't think you were coming so early," Andrew says to Neil when he gets close enough. "Don't you have to help your commune prepare for the flower dance?"

"They said I could come ahead. Besides, Sir can probably hold most of it anyways."

It's true; what might take a faerie ten trips would only the cat one. Since Neil's commune moved in nearby, they've been having joint flower dances. Near the end of summer, it's tradition for communes to come together to hold a flower dance to celebrate their good fortune and family. As neighbors, it was only right that they celebrated together; a successful and happy flower dance means lasting happiness for both communes.

“Want help bringing these up?” Neil asks.

“Sure,” Andrew shrugs. He knows Nicky would probably scold him for making their guest do his work, but honestly, it was always easier with a second hand.

Together, they gathered up the marigolds and made their way back up the hill to the large clearing set aside for gatherings. There, they toss their pile of marigolds in with the rest of the flowers.

Just as they toss the last into the pile, Andrew hears a voice calling him.

“Oh! Oh, Andrew, there you are! I’ve been looking all over for you!” Nicky crash lands from the sky, nearly trampling them both. His movements are frantic as he gathers the tangled mess of flowers around him. “I need your help. I can’t let Erik see me like this! I don’t know what I did, but it’s all falling apart, and I need your garland-making skills.”

Andrew wants to roll his eyes, but he’s sure that his eyes will fall out with the force of his exhaustion if he does. “Fine, but —” Andrew is interrupted by Nicky gasping.

“I’m sorry! Forgive my manners, I didn’t see you there, Neil.” And Neil momentarily disappears in a cluster of flowers as he’s hugged fiercely by Nicky. “You’re joining us for the flower dance, right? I really hope you two actually dance with us this year. You two always go off somewhere alone! It’s no fun, I honestly don’t know how you do it.”

Andrew, knowing that Nicky would ramble on nervously if not stopped, interrupts him with a hand on his shoulder. “Your flowers?”

“Oh. Yes. Ahem.” Nicky clears his throat and calms himself. “Right, well, I’ll be stealing Andrew from you for a bit then, Neil. I hope you don’t mind.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Neil smiles. “I think I see Matt over there anyways. I might as well get caught up with him.”

With that, Nicky proceeds to shoo him over to their shared tree. 

“I’m so glad that you’ve become such good friends with him,” Nicky says fondly as they settle down onto a branch. “You’ve been a lot happier. I can tell.”

Andrew grunts in reply as he begins to braid the flowers together. As traditional courting custom, the flowers represent the gifts they have given each other. As such, stalks of rosemary and gladiolus are woven throughout Nicky’s hair and clothes.

Nicky remains blessedly silent throughout most of the process, other than the occasional direction on the placement of flowers, but as Andrew finishes with the last of the flowers, he speaks.

“So… Neil is still single, right? When do you plan on — ”

“Drop it.”

Nicky shuts his mouth with a click. Andrew can tell he wants to say more, but he studiously avoids eye contact. Something about what Nicky was going to say grates on his nerves. What was he about to say? Did he expect Andrew to set him up with someone? He barely knew anyone that was single, other than _Kevin_ , but he’s sure that he’s secretly seeing someone from Neil’s commune. It definitely can’t be Neil, right? If it _i_ _s_ Neil, then surely one of them would have told him… Or at least he hopes so.

The thoughts leave a bitter taste in his mouth.

-

By the time Andrew is finally finished with Nicky’s flowers, faeries from Neil’s commune have arrived, and everyone is mingling. He breaks away from Nicky with a muttered excuse and goes to find Neil.

He finds him ensconced in a quiet conversation with Matt and Kevin. When Neil sees him, he waves Andrew over with a smile.

“How did it turn out with Nicky?” Neil asks. Andrew shrugs.

“It should be fine. Even if he showed up a mess, I doubt Erik would have even noticed.” Just then, a chorus of cheers start from the other side of the clearing.

Erik and Nicky enter the clearing, clutching each other’s hands and blushing hotly. Like Nicky, Erik is wrapped in intricately woven stalks of rosemary and gladioluses. They each carry a small lit torch. Together, they light the bonfire in the middle of the clearing, cementing their courtship in the eyes of both their communes. Cheers go up again, and everyone begins to scurry around to pass out garlands of flowers and food.

Their small group isn't missed in the celebration, and it isn't long before they, too, are all decked out in flowers. A couple of the younger faeries in particular make it a point to anoint Kevin with the best of the garlands.

“Are you three going to join?” Matt asks. Andrew shakes his head, and Matt laughs. “Yeah, that’s what I figured. I’ll catch you three later, then.” With that, he flies off to Dan, who is twirling around the bonfire with Angela on her shoulders.

“So?” Andrew asks Kevin, arching a brow. “You’re not going to go and dance?”

“Well...” Kevin darts a look at Neil. Andrew sucks in a breath. Did this mean —? “Neil knows, but I haven’t told you, yet. I’ve been… seeing… Thea.” He gestures to another faerie sitting across the clearing, talking to someone Andrew doesn’t recognize. “She’s from Neil’s commune. I think I really want to ask her to formally enter courtship for next year’s flower dance, but I’m not sure she’ll say yes.”

At this, cool relief flows through Andrew, and he plays it off with a shrug. “If she says yes, then she says yes. If no, then maybe it’s not meant to be. You can’t force her to say yes. You might as well just ask. Besides, she’s been staring at you every time you haven’t been staring at her.”

Kevin whips his head back around, just in time to catch Thea turning back to her companion. “Rea-lly?” He asks, voice cracking. He clears his throat. “Really?”

“Yes, really,” Andrew says, rolling his eyes. “You should just go there already or you’re going to piss me off.” By the time he finishes his sentence, Kevin is already flying over to the other side of the clearing.

“Kevin usually seems so… serious. It’s nice that he’s found someone he really likes.” When Andrew turns to look at Neil, he sees a fond smile on his face.

“What about you?” Andrew blurts. Neil tilts his head in question. “Do you… have someone you really like?”

Neil’s face pinks. “I… Maybe. I’m not sure yet, but I think I do.”

Andrew can’t help but stare at him intently for a moment. Nowhere in Neil’s face is there a lie. He can’t help but think that whomever Neil likes must be a very, very lucky person.

“Anyways, we should probably sit down. What about over there?” Neil points to a corner not packed with dancing faeries. It’s clearly a terrible attempt at a conversation change, but Andrew will take it. He’s honestly embarrassed with himself. Where did that question even come from? He probably has to blame it on Nicky for trying to start a weird conversation earlier.

-

“You said you like strawberries, right?” Andrew asks. With the rest of their combined communes occupied with dancing and partying, no one is paying attention. If he blocks out the sights and sounds of everyone else, it almost feels like they’re alone in the world.

“I do, but they’re hard to find. I don’t want to go as far as to steal from a human settlement, either.”

“I have something so show you. Come with me,” Andrew says, holding out a hand. Neil takes his hand with a smile, and he pulls them deeper into the forest.

“So where are we going?” Neil asks, looking curiously around them. They’re flying close to the ground, flickering through the groves of trees.

“It’s a surprise,” Andrew replies. They come to a stop at the edge of a clearing. “Close your eyes.”

Neil quirks an eyebrow, but does as he requests.

Andrew flies them to a patch of plants near the center of the field and tugs them both to a stop.

“Now... Open your eyes.”

Neil blinks open his eyes, and they light up with joy. In front of them was a pile of about a dozen bright red strawberries, each one a perfect ruby.

“ _Strawberries?_ ” Neil gasps, bending down to pick up a strawberry the size of his chest. “How did you find these?”

Andrew thinks back to the hours he spent with Sir, scouring the forest to find the patch. “I just came across it when I was looking to see where the bee swarm went. It was nothing,” he shrugs casually.

“Well, I’m definitely not going to complain,” Neil says, grinning. “Would you like to split one with me?”

Andrew’s first instinct is to decline, but — well, the strawberry is already so large, it must be impossible for one faerie to finish. And besides, he was curious himself about how it must taste. “... Sure.”

Neil takes the first bite, humming at the sweet taste as juices drip down his chin. He wipes it away with varying amounts of success. Andrew takes his own bite, making a mess almost as bad as Neil. 

“Good, right?” Neil asks, mouth full of half-chewed food. Andrew groans and pushes his face away, and Neil just chuckles.

“It’s better than I thought,” Andrew replies. “We found this patch hiding under some undergrowth the other day.”

“... We?” Neil asks curiously.

Andrew freezes, his second bite poised near to his mouth. “I meant me.”

“Did you?”

Andrew crumbles under the weight of Neil’s curious gaze. His eyes will always be Andrew’s greatest weakness. “Alright, fine. I may have needed Sir’s help. I just thought you might like it since you were feeling so down last week.”

A complicated look crosses Neil’s face, but it’s replaced by his usual smile so quickly that Andrew thinks for a moment that he imagined it. Or maybe he did.

“You have something on your face again.” Andrew leans forward and wipes it off with his thumb. He licks it off. The strawberries really are perfectly ripe. Not bad, Andrew. He mentally pats himself on the back.

“What are you, a momma bird? This is what you did last week,” Neil laughs, though it’s a little more high-pitched than usual.

“Not my fault you can’t eat neatly.”

“You’re telling _me._ ” Neil pokes at the large strawberry-scented stain on his tunic.

They finish eating the strawberry, trading bites until all that is left is the leafy bit.

-

When they make it back to the clearing, the flower dance is still at its height of excitement. Much to Andrew's chagrin, they are both pulled into the festivities the moment they step back into the clearing. Mugs of warm honey are thrust into their hands, and they are finally pulled away from each other to join in the dances.

Andrew is twirled from faerie to faerie; the beat of the drums are exuberant and slightly off-rhythm, but it doesn't stop the dancing faeries. Twice Angela is tossed his way, and he winces as she tugs on his hair in her excitement. Even though he tries to make his way back to Neil, he finds his way blocked with faerie after faerie. 

"You should put a smile on your face, Aaron! Or wait... are you Andrew?" Some of them say. And others: "No wonder you rarely dance! You should really brush up on your skills." Andrew deliberately steps on the toes of the faeries who say the latter. Neil, at least, seems to be having the time of his live dancing with his friends. When Andrew manages to catch a glimpse of him, he's twirling between Dan and Matt.

Andrew won't ever admit it, but he is just a little bit irritated that he doesn't get to dance with Neil. So what if they see each other almost every day?

Eventually, Nicky pulls him in to dance. They twirl one way, then another, and in the rush of movement, Andrew doesn't quite catch the question Nicky asks him.

"So did you ask him?"

"Ask who what?" Andrew asks, none too subtly nudging Nicky away from another dancing duo. His cousin has a penchant for flailing his limbs around without any care for his surroundings.

"Neil, silly." Their conversation is momentarily interrupted as Nicky tosses him to another faerie, but they're dancing together again after a few turns. "Did you ask if you could court him?"

... _What?_

"Wait -- wait just a minute." Andrew pulls them both to an abrupt stop, narrowly managing to avoid a pair of twirling faeries. They scowl at him, but he ignores them. "What exactly do you mean by that?"

"Well... Neil told me you gave him strawberries."

“Of course. He likes strawberries and so I got him strawberries.”

“He also told me that you’ve been giving him stuff for awhile now.”

“... And?”

“That does seem like courting behavior, doesn’t it?”

Does it?

The question stumps him for a moment because he’s never spared a thought for courtship in his life. “No,” he automatically denies. “There’s no way that I’m courting him.”

Nicky’s eyes crinkle in that particular way that Andrew knows will lead to a lecture. “Andrew...”

“No. No way at all. I wouldn’t court anyone, much less Neil — ” _Because he’s too good for me,_ Andrew wants to say, but Nicky’s not looking at him anymore. He’s looking over his shoulder. Andrew turns around.

Neil’s eyes are wide, and he looks — he looks _hurt_.

“Wait, Neil…” Andrew reaches out to him, but he backs away.

“It’s alright!” Neil hurries to say. “I get it. I really do. I’m just going to go.” He tries to smile, but it fails, and he presses his lips together. Without another word, he turns and flies from the clearing.

The faeries that witnessed the incident stop their celebration in shock.

“I’m so sorry,” Nicky whispers, horrified. “If I hadn’t pushed… I just really thought — ”

“It doesn’t matter anymore.” Andrew says, interrupting him. He clenches his fist. Did he misread something, somewhere? Judging by Neil’s reaction… Did that mean that he wanted to court?

A voice jolts him from his misery.

“You know what? See, everyone here is content to just let you fumble around and hope for the best, but not me. I like Neil, I consider him my friend, and you’re hurting him by giving these mixed messages! You either like him romantically, or you don’t. If you don’t, if you just consider him a friend, stop with all this courting!”

“Katelyn —”

“No, Aaron, I’m not done. Maybe everyone else here is convinced of that cold exterior, but not me. I’m not scared.” She flies up to him nearly chest-to-chest. “You bring him flowers, not because you like the smell of them, but because _he_ likes the smell of them and _you_ like the way he looks wrapped in your gifts." She pokes at his shoulder. "And you bring him fruit, not because you have extras in your storage, but because you go out of your way to get it. For him. Don’t you get it? Don’t you understand what you _feel_?”

“Katelyn,” Aaron murmurs, tugging her back. “Just — leave him be.”

“You don’t understand how I feel,” Andrew hisses back at her. 

“How can you be so sure, when you don’t even know how _you_ feel?”

He tries to say something, anything, but the words slip out of his grasp — the nameless ache he feels when Neil isn’t near and the tingle in his palms when he takes his gifts, and — 

_And._

He gnashes his teeth to spit at her, to bring her down, but he can’t bring himself to. It holds him back, the knowledge that she is right.

Fuck. He _likes_ Neil. And maybe more than likes him, if literally everyone he knows is right.

His next breath is deeper, shakier. It calms him, but not by much, and his hands are still shaking.

“Fuck.” He doesn’t mean to say it, but it comes out anyways.

“Go to him,” Katelyn urges. Her hands reach out to push him, but he flinches away and she pulls back. “You might be emotionally dense sometimes, but you’re not _evil_. He’s waiting for you. And I know that however you feel for him now… He feels the same way.”

He turns away and flies toward the direction Neil had gone.

-

How did Nicky even do this? Nicky had claimed once that Andrew would just know what to do, as though it was some instinct ingrained into him. He thinks of the rosemary that Nicky had dried for Erik. But why rosemary?

Andrew tries to imagine himself giving Neil stalks of rosemary, but it's just too bizarre. Andrew thinks about what he knows of Erik, which is, admittedly not a lot. The only thing he can think of is that the rosemary quite closely resembles the colors of Erik’s wings. 

A cluster of flowers catches his eye.

-

Neil's not in any of his usual haunts, probably because there isn't anything _usual_ about this turn of events. His first stop is to Neil's favorite spot among the lilacs, but his heart drops when he finds no one. He visits Neil's commune next, but other than the sound of the trees swaying in the wind, there is nothing. Andrew pokes around Sir's usual napping spot, but it's empty; it's likely that she's still at the flower dance.

Nights like these, even with the full moon shining brightly through the trees, are dangerous for a faerie. Andrew knows this, but he doesn't hesitate before going further into the forest. 

During the day, Andrew revels in the comfort of the forest. During the night, however, the darkness presses closer, turning innocent shadows into menacing silhouettes. At times, it feels like the shadows are watching him.

"Neil," he calls out tentatively. "Neil? Where are you?"

There's no response, but he still continues pressing forward. Even in the dark of night, Neil's distinctive hair and wings should be as bright as a beacon.

After about an hour of searching fruitlessly for Neil, Andrew comes to slowly realize -- the eyes watching him are very much real. He's proven right the moment after he dives down toward the underbrush, narrowly dodging the sharp beaks of the raven attacking him.

No fairy would travel out into the woods, alone, without any protection -- but with the flower dance, he hardly thought about bringing any protection or weapons.

Andrew darts up, then to the side to dodge another swipe from a second raven. He misjudges his timing and knocks his shoulder into a branch, sending him tumbling head first toward the bushes. It leaves him open for attack. The first raven caws at him and grabs him around the waist with its talons; without his bow, he can't do anything but struggle madly. 

"Shut your eyes!" A bright arc of light pierces through the night, and Andrew instinctively squeezes his eyes shut. The raven holding him releases a screech of pain and drops him immediately. Before he can collect himself, he is caught in a warm embrace.

"Wait here," the voice says breathlessly and deposits him in the hollow of a tree. Andrew blinks open his eyes. It's Neil.

He's sitting astride Sir, who is hissing at the ravens. They circle around the duo on the ground once, twice, before diving in. 

"Go!" Neil shouts, and Sir pounces in the air, hopping from one tree trunk to another, dodging the raven's attacks. Neil nocks his bow with a sharp beacon of faerie magic.

Sir lands on all fours once more, and Neil aims --

The ravens shriek as the arrow explodes inches in front of their beaks. They tumble away from the attack and finally fly away.

"Neil," is all Andrew manages to say from where he is still crouched. Neil stows his bow away and offers him a hand up. With Neil's help, Andrew settles himself behind Neil. He isn't quite sure where to rest his hands, but Neil tugs his arms to wrap loosely around his waist. 

"Are you hurt?" Neil asks. Sir takes a sedate pace, picking through the undergrowth with care.

"No," Andrew says. He opens his mouth to say something, anything, but his nerves choke him.

Neil must be able to sense his confusion. "We should probably talk, huh?" Neil asks.

Sir brings them to Neil's commune, and they both hop off to settle down under a mushroom cap. Now that Andrew has the chance to see Neil up close, he can see that his eyes are red and puffy as though he's been crying. His normally bright blue eyes are dull, and Andrew has to stop himself from running a thumb under the puffy eye to wipe away any residual tears.

“... Hey.” Andrew can’t bring the courage to say anything else quite yet.

“Hey,” Neil replies, much softer. "What were you doing out there, all alone? You could have been hurt."

"Looking for you," Andrew admits. "I checked the lilac field and your home, but you weren't there."

"After that, I was with Sir. But then I just had a bad feeling, so I came back home, and you left a trail..."

"What you heard back there..."

Neil shakes his head, and when he speaks, his voice is slightly unsteady. "I'll be honest. It confused me and it hurt me. But you don't have to explain if you don't want to."

"No, I do," Andrew says, then pauses. “I have something for you, actually.” He pulls the slightly crumpled flower from his tunic, and presents it to Neil.

He takes after a moment of hesitation. “Thanks…?” Neil looks down at the flower, and his eyes widen in recognition. “This is—?”

“A forget-me-not.” Andrew plucks it from Neil’s hand and tucks it behind his ear. “From me to you. Sincerely this time, because I wasn’t clear before.”

“But earlier you said...” Neil trails off and looks down at the hands in his lap.

“I was wrong. I never thought that that was something you would want. I should have talked to you about it. Properly.” Andrew reaches out to clutch Neil’s hands with his own. "I projected my own insecurities into you, and I shouldn't have done that. I'm sorry."

“So… You’re serious?”

“As I’ll ever be.” Andrew squeezes his hands. “Neil… Will you let me court you?”

-

1 year later.

“Are you _really_ sure about this?” Andrew asks, tugging at a lock of hair that escapes Neil’s braid. “We could wait another year.”

Neil rolls his eyes. “Definitely not. Not with Nicky and the rest of our families waiting outside. I think that if we were to delay our courtship now, everyone would riot.”

Andrew wants to argue for the sake of arguing, but Neil is right. Ever since Nicky tied the knot with Erik, Nicky has thrown himself head first into Andrew’s own courtship planning. To let him down now would be akin to unleashing a calamity unto the world. A great big _crying_ calamity. Ugh.

“You’re right. Are you ready?” Andrew straightens one of the flowers tucked behind Neil’s ear, but he’s stopped with a gentle hand at his wrist.

“Always,” Neil murmurs. “Shall we?” He asks, gesturing toward the line of trees leading to the forest clearning. 

Together, they stride hand-in-hand into the clearing. Kevin and Thea who had already gone before them, had already lit the first bonfire. With their bonfire, Neil and Andrew light their own torches and set a second bonfire ablaze amidst the cheers of their friends and family.

When Neil looks up at him, Andrew remembers why he originally chose the forget-me-nots. Maybe now its meaning is relevant: remembrance and true love. Even if Andrew doesn’t believe in the meanings, he does know how much Neil appreciates them. But to Andrew, he remembers the moment he first saw the cluster of flowers. 

There they were, near-perfect replicas of the color of Neil’s eyes. But of course, if anyone has to ask —

Nothing can quite compare to Neil's eyes when he is happy.


End file.
